Fresh Mango Spring Rolls

Clockwise: Mango, endive, cilantro, red pepper,
green onion, ginger, jalapeno, carrot, and broccoli

When I was visiting my mom over the summer she made some fresh spring rolls and it was the first time I realized how easy they were to make.  And they were fun to make too.  My mom had a bunch of different vegetables, etc. to put in them and everyone could just make their own.  I think it would be a great way to get kids involved in making dinner, because they could pick whatever they wanted to be in them.  There are so many different combinations to be made.  Pork, chicken, and shrimp are good meat additions, and there are tons of vegetables that would go well in them.
For my first time making them at home I decided on using mango as my flavour base.  I added red and jalapeno peppers for some spice, and ginger because I think it compliments mango nicely.  I used broccoli stems and carrots for some crunch and lots of cilantro because I just love cilantro.  I made these as an appetizer for my General Tao Chicken and I had some leftover that I had for lunch the next day.  They were delicious!

Fresh Mango Spring Rolls

4 sheets of rice paper
1 small Belgium endive, sliced into thin pieces
1/2 cup cilantro
1 broccoli stem, peeled and julienned
1/2 red pepper, julienned
1 jalapeno, julienned
1 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned
3 green onions, sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
1 mango, peeled and cut into strips

Dipping Sauce
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 lime, juiced
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp+ water

Mix together all of the dipping sauce ingredients, adding water until at desired consistency.  Set aside.
Prepare rice papers one at a time.  Fill a large plate with hot water and set one of the dry rice papers in it until it becomes soft and transparent.  Carefully take it out of the water and place on a dry plate.  Put the vegetables in a pile in the middle of the paper.  Fold the 2 outer edges in, then fold the back edge over the vegetables.  Roll it tightly the rest of the way.  Cut in half and serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Soba Noodle Stir Fry

I used to make stir-frys for dinner all the time.  They are fast and easy and can be made so many different ways; they were my go-to meal.  But I would always buy the jarred sauces from the grocery store and after a while I got tired of all of them.  They started to all taste the same to me and I found they over-powered the taste of the vegetables. So I started to stock up on different oils and sauces so I could make my own stir-fry flavourings.  I bought sesame oil, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha hot sauce, etc. and just experimented with them by using other recipes as guidance.  This recipe was inspired by satay dipping sauce and I think it's amazing.  I had a huge bowl for dinner, and then ate it for lunch the next 2 days and I haven't stopped craving it since.  It was my first time cooking with Soba noodles, and I loved the taste of them.  And once all the vegetables were cut it only took 10 minutes to cook everything.  I used the vegetables I like in this dish, but any combination will do.  I do really love the crunch that the water chestnuts add though. 

Soba Noodle Stir Fry

250g Soba Noodles
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh chopped vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peppers)
1 398g can whole baby corn, drained
1 227g can water chestnuts, drained
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetarian Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
Sliced green onions

 



Whisk together the peanut butter, Hoisin sauce, water, and hot sauce.  Set aside.  Cook Soba Noodles according to package directions.  Do not over cook.
Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over med-high heat.  Add garlic and ginger, stir for 1 minute.  Add the 2 cups of chopped vegetables, stir-fry for 5 minutes.  (If you find the garlic is burning add some water to the pan.)  Mix in the baby corn and water chestnuts, cook for an additional minute or two.  The vegetables should be tender-crisp.  Add the sauce and cooked, drained noodles to the pan.  Mix together and serve with a sprinkling of green onion slices.

Freezer Meals

The end of August and start of September is one of my favourite times of the year.  I think that for me the real 'new year' will always be September 1st, and not January.  I love everything about the start of fall...cozy sweaters, the beginning of soup season, fall vegetables, going back to work...ok, maybe not so much the going back to work, but everything else is great!  I went to the huge St. Jacob's Farmer's Market to get ready for canning and to buy some other veggies.  I bought red and golden beets for pickling, baby cukes for making dill pickles, yellow zucchini for making my delicious vegetable macaroni and cheese, a whole bunch of basil to make pesto, and some patty pan squash that I'm excited to cook up.  I feel the need to get my freezer and canning shelves full!  I have already canned 7 jars of pears from my pear tree and have made a bunch of freezer meals that I will soon be adding the pesto to. 

I wanted to have some quick lunches available to me for the times that I don't feel like making anything, as well as a few things to make dinner time easier.  I made Curried Carrot Soup, Meatball Stew (from this site), 44 Clove Garlic Soup (from this blog), mashed potatoes with gravy on the side, ground beef with onions and garlic, and some strawberry puree for quick smoothies in the morning. 
I divided the soups and stew into small bags for individual servings.  I divided the mashed potatoes into bags for 2 people, with a small baggie of gravy in with each, and I froze the strawberry puree in ice cube trays so that they would be easy to blend.
For the beef mixture (recipe below), I divided it into different sized amounts so I could use it for a variety of recipes.  I put 3 cups together to make my chili with, another bag with 2 cups to add to a pasta sauce, and a small bag of a cup and a half for making Jamaican patties.  And when I see ground beef on sale I am going to keep these bags replenished.

So here is the recipe for the ground beef:

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Brown the beef in a large skillet, drain.  Return meat to skillet and add in the onion and garlic.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then drain.  Put the cooked meat in a large container or bowl and leave in the fridge until cooled down.  Divide into freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.